Radiology department workers at greater risk of diseases

Karachi:  People working in radiology departments are more likely to contract serious diseases as most of them perform their duties without adequate safety measures and protective gear.

Radiation Protection Officer (RPO), Civil Hospital Karachi (CKH), Muhammad Tariq said radiation means energy which travels in the form of rays. He said safety measure and some equipment is necessary for employees working in radiology department to protect them from direct exposure to rays emitted from diagnostic machines.       

He said some equipment like lead apron, TLD badges, film badges, thyroid shields, lead barriers or screen, lead gloves and lead eye glasses protect employees from direct radiation of rays and also minimize its severity. He said penetration power of gamma camera rays is more dangerous as compared to X-ray.

Tariq said there are two types of radiation related side-effects including deterministic effects and stochastic effect likely to contract diseases to employees if proper safety measures and equipments could not wear during duty. He said employees may face different diseases like vomiting, nausea, skin problems, joint pain and fever due to excessive exposure to radiation. He said stochastic effect more dangerous for people works in such atmosphere for example person affected from radiation might face sterility, tissues mutation and others diseases.

He explained that person contracted diseases due to radiation rays should be rested for minimum three months on the recommendations of RPO. He said lead apron and lead screen necessary for staff working X-ray department is a must. He said there are no RPO officers in radiation departments of major healthcares of Karachi including Civil Hospital Karachi, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center.                

He stressed the need of appointment of RPO officers in radiations departments and organizing awareness lectures for staff in order to protect them from dangerous rays. He said strict administrator needed to implement on safety measures in radiation department of public hospitals.

In-charge, X-ray Department, CHK, Tariq Mangi when contacted said there is no protection equipment available for technicians in public healthcare places. He said staff is performing their duties without safety measure and protection equipments. He said there no any allowance for employees working in X-ray department without proper covering.

He informed that over 250 X-ray are done on a daily basis during rush hours and urged the authorities concerned to provide necessary equipments and ensure implementation on safety plan in x-ray and radiology departments in order to protect employees from ill effects of rays.